Canada's former environment minister and now chair of the UN’s High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) 'lays down the law' on net-zero greenwashing.
- any organization making net-zero pledges can’t also be supporting the expansion of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
- organizations must set short-term targets to lower emissions.
- technologies that don’t work as advertised — like carbon capture technology or experimental next-generation nuclear reactors — don’t have a place in a credible 2030 target.
- companies and cities can’t buy their way to net zero with carbon offsets; they need to genuinely reduce their own emissions and the emissions they finance.
- companies must also create transition plans for their business models, including phasing out fossil fuels and scaling up renewable energy projects, and align their lobbying with climate solutions instead of delay tactics.
